The Academy of American Poets is pleased to announce the competition for the 2013 Raiziss/de Palchi Fellowship for the translation of modern Italian poetry. The fellowship, which is awarded every other year, is given to enable an American translator to travel, study, or otherwise advance a significant work-in-progress. The Academy invites applications from American translators currently engaged in the translation of twentieth-century Italian poetry. Applications must be postmarked between September 1, 2012 and February 15, 2013. A panel of judges will select the recipient of the fellowship. The winning translator will receive an award of $25,000 and a six week residency at the American Academy in Rome. The judges for this year are Susan Stewart, Victoria Surliuga, and Anthony Julian Tamburri.

The Raiziss/de Palchi Translation Awards Fund was established through a bequest to The New York Community Trust by Sonia Raiziss Giop, a poet, translator, and long-time editor of Chelsea magazine. The Trust has selected the Academy to administer the award.

• The Raiziss/de Palchi Fellowship is for the translation into English of modern, standard (non-dialect) Italian poetry. It is meant to enable a translator to travel, study, work, or otherwise advance a significant work-in-progress.

• The work-in-progress must be a translation into English of twentieth-century Italian poetry. The original poems may be by a single author or by various authors. The fellowship, however, is an individual award. Collaborations are not eligible.

• Applicants must be U.S. citizens.

• To apply, a translator must submit four copies of a proposal describing the work-in-progress, the applicant's credentials, and how the fellowship money will be used. Applications should be no longer than five pages double-spaced.

• The applicant must verify that he or she has obtained permission to translate the poems specified in his or her application or that the poems are in the public domain.

• The translator must submit 15 sample pages of the translation in progress as well as copies of the original poems.

• Each application must be accompanied by a completed entry form signifying the applicant's acceptance of these guidelines.

• Applications must be postmarked between September 1 and February 15, 2013. Applications will not be returned.

• The decision of the judges is expected by June 2013.

• The Academy will award the winning translator a fellowship of $25,000. The fellowship winner will also receive a six-week residency at the American Academy in Rome.

• The fellowship recipient must submit a report at the end of the fellowship year, describing his or her progress, as well as a copy of the completed work or revised manuscript.

• If published, the work-in-progress must include an acknowledgement of The Academy of American Poets and the Raiziss/de Palchi Translation Awards Fund of The New York Community Trust.

• The decisions of the Academy of American Poets as to eligibility are final.

• The Academy reserves the right not to award the fellowship in any given year.

entry form | main page